We are one step closer to ratification! On July 26th, the 22nd Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the first step in the process to ratify the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was completed!

The United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a mark-up hearing and voted the treaty out of committee by a 13-6 count. It is our hope that the CRPD will be brought to the floor for a full vote by the members of the Senate within the next few days.

The CRPD is a non-discrimination treaty seeking to achieve the same goals as the ADA and other existing disability laws in the United States: to empower individuals with disabilities to achieve economic self-sufficiency, independent living, inclusion, and integration into all aspects of society. The CRPD is important to all people with disabilities because it embodies equal treatment and non-discrimination in access to employment, educational, and housing opportunities.

The treaty needs at least 67 Senators to vote "aye" in order for it to be ratified. We need you to call your Senators and tell them to support bringing the treaty to the floor for vote, and to vote in favor of the treaty once this happens.

ACTION: Call, write, or email Senators Schumer and Gillibrand today! Identify yourself as a constituent and urge your senators: "Please bring the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) to the floor immediately and support ratification of the treaty!"